Letters to a Sister (29 page)

If I had 7 yrs alone in prison, and a ball-top pen, or still better a typewriter, I should write a long and very successful
book recording my reactions & thoughts & occupations each day, something like yours, no doubt, and, like yours, showing my degeneration into imbecility and morbidity.
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It would make a lot of money when published, probably more than yours, as I should start with a known name. But I dare say yours might be better.

I will send you the two books I am now reviewing later. Both are small books, one by Lord Altrincham,
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one by Peter Kirk,
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son of the late Bp of Oxford. Both are about the C. of E., both making criticisms & suggestions, but P.K. is a much firmer member of it. When at Oxford he says he got discontented with it and had a good look at the R.C. and Quaker Churches; at first he was pleased with Rome, but after a time he saw he could never join it, owing to its narrowness, bigotry and erroneous belief that it was the one true Church, besides Mariolatry etc. He admired the morality and good works of Quakers, but wanted something more articulate; he couldn't worship without any stimulus of words, music, etc., and also likes sacraments. He then decided to stay C. of E., and now much prefers it to anything else, and thinks there is the greatest potentiality of good in it, anyhow for him. He is sensible about disunion, feeling that every one must stay in the Church which best shows & helps him to be Christian, and that differences are quite a good thing. He believes in apostolic succession as a help to the value of sacraments, and I don't agree with him in everything. Lord A., on the other hand, makes a fuss about the things in the creeds, Prayer Book and Bible that he can't believe; he is a little childish about it, thinking it keeps many people out of the Church. Of course in the case of clergy he is partly right. But I get bored with all this literalness, like those humanists telling us we must believe in material hell fire because it is
mentioned in the New Testament,
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as if Christianity wasn't allowed to march with the times and re-interpret from age to age, like any other system of thought. Because every one believed in material hell torments 2000 years ago (and even much later, like Dante) is no reason at all why anyone should now. Peter Kirk says one very odd thing; that his father the Bp never told him that he was brought up a Methodist, but let him think he had been C. of E. always. I suppose his grandparents were dead, or was he never allowed to meet them? He discovered by looking thro' his father's papers after his death that he changed to C. of E. at Oxford. It would seem to me almost impossible to keep it dark from one's children, considering how enquiring children are; you would think Peter would ask how many times on Sundays his father had to go to church, and what church was it, etc. etc. I wonder if his mother too was in the dark. Peter says he is puzzled as to the reason, but it was probably snobbery; many people did say he was rather a snob. I should have been nervous about its coming out and making me look silly & deceitful....

Very much love.

E.R.M.

20, Hinde House, Hinde St, W.1 16 June, [1958]

Dearest Jeanie,

Thank you so much for yours, and interesting piece on Cyprus by Cameron.
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How menacing it all is. Turks v. Greek Cypriotes would be a very barbarous and savage war, horrible to contemplate; neither Turks nor Greeks bar any
holds in war. If only we can save it from coming to that.

My Conference was really worth while, I think. We discussed a number of things (I enclose the programme), and had a lot of it in the garden, in lovely weather. Quite a bit of Church thrown in, H.C. for any one who liked to come (Canon Collins doesn't fence the Anglican altar), and other prayers for those who didn't like to, as most of the non-Anglicans didn't. I went on Sunday morning to a very attractive Children's Mass at Little St Mary's. Adults communicated, some with infants (in their arms or kneeling by their sides) who got blessed by the priest, and the bread and wine brought up by two children, and five children kneeling at the rail holding candles, which they raised high during the elevation. A very good church training for them.

All the conference speakers were good, the best were Canon Collins on Nuclear bombs and Mervyn Stockwood on the general position of Christianity today. I am glad he is on the Commission for revising the Canons, Liturgy, etc.,
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as he is on the right lines about it. As he put it, he hopes the revisers will ‘play ducks & drakes' with a great deal of it…. Canon Stockwood… thinks the Church will never pull much weight till… assumptions [such as the Genesis view, which assumes that man was once perfect and fell] are got rid of & no one can taunt Christians with believing nonsense. Also the [Thirty-nine] Articles must be torn up, or most of them. He is a very energetic and purposeful man, and speaks excellently. I believe he fills the University Church every Sunday in term with undergraduates and dons—and no doubt elderly women too, tho' he spoke with scorn of a Church which ‘only appealed to elderly women and children'. I sometimes feel quite ashamed of being one, as Dorothea used to say she did when Fr Waggett was at Great St Mary's. The clergy seem very friendly when one talks to them, but all the time I suppose they are feeling that one is rather contemptible
and not worth while. I wonder about old men; but of course fewer of them go to church.

The Bishop of Willesden
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spoke in favour of retaining nuclear bombs as a deterrent; he feels quite hysterical about Russia and the threat of Communism, which he says is ‘wholly of the devil'; and better keep the bomb, & even use it if necessary, than risk Russian occupation. Canon Collins replied to him very well, saying all I think about it. Afterwards we formed groups, and discussed it, and each group made a report of our conversation, which was read aloud later on, after the Bishop had gone, so our group reporter could say that ‘The group found the Bp of Willesden somewhat onesided and even hysterical in his views.' The Bp of Jo'burg
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unfortunately couldn't come; I am going this evening to his meeting
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at the Central Hall [Westminster] when he will tell of his African experiences. The Racialism discussion was entirely about Africans v. Europeans, which seemed a pity, as there is so much other race hate, but we had a Kenya man, Mr [Joseph] Murumbi, there, so he kept it to that. The only blot on the proceedings was the speech of an English worker in Kenya, who had asked if he might come and give his point of view, tho' he doesn't belong to Christian Action. He made a most embarrassing speech, about how we ought to know the reasons for Europeans not liking to mix with Africans or share their lavatories etc.; it was a question of two levels of civilization and hygiene (meaning obviously syphilis) and it was very unpleasant to mix them. Mr Murumbi was present of course, and every one was very angry. Canon Collins replied to it, pointing out that when one was in a foreign land, such as Italy e.g., one had to adapt oneself to its lavatory arrangements, tho' no doubt every one preferred those they were used to. Mr Murumbi also spoke, but avoided the lavatory question. I liked Fr Corbishley,
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the R.C., whom
I sat next at dinner on Saturday; but his talk wasn't very practical, too much about Thomist views on war etc., and how every one is ‘equal', which is obviously untrue. Does it mean in character, brains, or what? But almost the best was Janet Lacey, who manages the Refugee Church Aid,
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and gave a most interesting account of refugees everywhere, and the general situation. Such a nice large beneficent woman. She did ‘Lift up your Hearts' lately, and I liked her then….

Very much love.

E.R.M.

I liked Edith Bone's account of her 7 years in prison.
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She is wonderfully courageous & tough. The worst part would be the filthy floor, I think.

20, Hinde House, Hinde St, W.1 19 June, [1958]

Dearest Jeanie,

... I am sorry to miss you tomorrow, but shall be at Stonehenge, spending first part of the night at Amesbury, where I have booked a room, and going on to Sunrise on Stonehenge (there probably won't be any) about 4 a.m. I am writing about it in my novel,
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and thought I had better get it right. I shall like to see the Druids at their sun-worship; I saw a booklet giving their prayers to the Great Light. No sacrifices are allowed. Then I have breakfast and drive back to London along, I hope, nice quiet morning roads.

Thank you for cuttings. [James] Cameron is a v.g. commentator, and writes well always. I fear his pessimism is justified. No one seems to have a hope. The Turkish ambassador
here says Turks are feeling very anti-British, so are the Greeks. Macmillan may as well save his breath this afternoon for all the good he will do.
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Bp Reeves spoke very well, and very fairly, giving credit to the South African government for spending millions on housing and schools etc., for Africans. How silly the papers are for only reporting interruptions at meetings.
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The Bp ignored them all and went on talking thro' them. Lord Pakenham, when he spoke, answered interrupters & made them look silly, which may be better. He begged us all to see the question in the highest light we knew, if we didn't happen to believe in a God. A young man shouted ‘The highest light is the British Empire.' Lord P. commented ‘An understandable view, but, if I may say so, a little parochial.' On the 27th I promised to attend a Women's anti-bomb meeting. I refused at first, as I don't approve of sex segregation on public questions, but later said I would, as it is important to stir up ordinary women about it. They have a good platform list.

Geoffrey Murray in the
News Chronicle
was rather unfair and sensational about Lord Altrincham's not very good little book
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. He doesn't, e.g. say the clergy in general have ‘a rapt Druidical air', but only that when they file into church they have. His book is often silly & ill-mannered & crude, but I think is worth while. He thinks the communion service involves a theory of atonement which he dislikes… but I didn't like, in my review, to snub him for his efforts for reform. I will send or give you the book. We
must
meet next week (not Friday). When we do, you might suggest some good religious books for me to speak about to the Mothers' Union (mostly officials and Bishops' wives, not so
much the common run) on July 9.... No, I shouldn't canonize Newman, tho' apparently the Vatican means to presently. After all what were his saintly deeds? I should saint Fr Damien,
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Schweitzer, and any who have given their lives up to difficult work for other people at great personal sacrifice.

V. much love.

E.R.M.

20, Hinde House, Hinde St, W.1 16 July, 1958

Dearest Jeanie,

Many thanks for yours and cutting. I cut out for you from
The Times
Dr Chavasse's angry abuse of pacifists in his sermon to Territorials.
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But I can't find it. I enclose however a reply from me, from which you will gather the kind of thing he said.
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He certainly
was
‘bloody-minded', tho' I agree that a clergyman shouldn't call him so in the pulpit.
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He says the Peace Pledge Union caused the 1940 war. What nonsense. It never had the slightest effect on the Government's defence policy. The war was caused by Hitler's mad aggressions and
our desire to stop them. The Bp of Jo'burg told Canon Collins the other evening that bishop after bishop at the [Lambeth] Conference got up and spoke for the H-bomb. I now of course have got a lot of letters, some from agreers, some from not. I shan't answer most of them. I only have one thing to say about it, and I've said it in my letter—I don't think it is civilized either to make or use the things. As to Cantuar, can he be going rather mad, with the pressure of this Conference and all he has to do?
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If God's plan is for the human race to perish, why choose such a wicked end? Another flood, or great quake or pestilence, would be more moral. If the former, who would you select for the Ark? No animals, I expect. I don't think the Noahs were really worthy, they weren't a very nice family. William Clark said yesterday that he doesn't think we shall get our cruise. I was rather discouraged, as he is the very well informed political correspondent on foreign affairs for
The Observer.
But I hope he is wrong. How very impertinent all this rushing of troops into Lebanon is.
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Really the small states mustn't start calling the big ones in to save them from their revolutions; they must manage them for themselves. If we had a revolution here, we should never dream of sending for Lebanese help, nor even, I hope, American, tho' their planes are on our shores already. I suppose we shall go in ourselves before long. How nosey the nations are about each other's quarrels, as if we hadn't enough of our own.

I was glad Frank Pakenham wrote to defend Canon Collins
in
The Observer,
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it will have cheered him up. I am lunching with Lord P. in the House of Lords next Wed. Rather amusing to see the other Lords at their food.

I'm so sorry you have caught radio activity. Mine is much better now, but I still feel lassitude. This evening I am going as John Betjeman's guest to a City dinner.
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Decorations to be worn, so I shall for the first time don my pretty D.B.E. But I fear I shall be a poor hand at the food and drink….

Dorothea writes that Fr Wood (St Clement's) used to say that communion 3 times a year is all we are mostly ‘ready for'. Rather surprising, from him.
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Rochester doesn't think we need go much at all, but he is Low.
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